Two hundred dollars for a blade grinder? Are you kidding me? This might be your first thought on seeing the very stylish, Technivorm Moccamaster KM4 TT coffee grinder.

Normally, we would think that this seems like a slightly hefty price tag for a mere blade grinder. But perhaps it is time for a bit of a rethink here. Conventional wisdom tells us that burr grinders are best.

The coffee snobs would have us believe that our poor little beans are going to be burned to death under the heat of the rotating blade.

Gadget lovers are going to want to fiddle around and set the exact grade of their grind.

Unfortunately, that ain’t happening with this baby. Our grinder here is very much a one size fits all approach.

So if you are a burr grinder purist or in love with technology at its most finicky then maybe you should jog on…. Or then again, maybe not.

Because perhaps we need to rethink what exactly it is that you need a coffee grinder for in the first place.

If it is to show off to your house guests or flummox people in general with its complexity, then perhaps this is not for you after all… but if it is simply to grind beans to make great coffee, then it totally is.

SO WHAT IS THERE TO LIKE ABOUT THIS COFFEE GRINDER THEN?

One of the things that we like about this coffee grinder is the fact it is so simple!

When we get up in the morning, logical reasoning is not our strong point and perhaps we don’t want to have to spend precious time, in our caffeine deprived state, squinting at the coffee grinder and trying to figure out what to do.

The Technivorm is nice and easy. You just push one button and away you go. Why overcomplicate things?

IS THIS AS GOOD AS A BURR GRINDER?

Yes, this is definitely as good as a burr grinder, customers have reported. However, you do not have any control over the fineness of the grind.

It is recommended for and will produce coffee ground to the correct specification for any drip coffee maker.

Take a look at this video to see the Technivorm Moccamaster coffee grinder in full color.

WON’T THE BLADE GRINDER BURN THE BEANS?

Probably, as a coffee purist, you will be skeptical that any blade grinder could as efficiently and as lovingly grind your precious load as well as a burr grinder can.

The primary worry will be the dreaded burn. But don’t worry. Technivorm have made sure this won’t happen because there is a fan cooled grinding chamber to help keep them nicely chilled down.

After all, this is Technivorm we’re talking about here, and they know their stuff.

Best Burr Grinders For Home Use

Here are some of the best burr grinders for home use according to our editors!

How it looks

Name

Price

Features

Buy Now

Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

$$$

8 oz bean hopper, 5 oz grind bin

40 different grinding settings

Gateway grinder to higher end grinders

Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder

$$

Wide grinding range

Holds up to 8 ounces of beans

Clearly labelled, easy to use

Stylish burr grinder for the kitchen

Hario Mill Slim Manual Grinder

$

Portable and compact

Ceramic burrs

Elegant glass housing

Removable Handle

Rancilio Rocky

$$$$

50 mm burrs

High caliber home grinder

Variable grind settings

Quiet direct drive motor

Breville Smart Grinder Pro

$$$

Conical burrs made with stainless steel

60 grind settings

Grind directly into porta-filter

Precision electronic timer

WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE TECHNIVORM?

Technivorm have been making coffee makers for fifty years and this is the only thing that they do.

This product, like all of Technivorms, has been approved by the SCAA/SCAE (Speciality Coffee Associations of America and Europe) as producing the finest coffee grinds and also meets the ECBC (European Coffee Brewing Center) high criteria for quality at producing to their ‘Golden Cup’ standard.

There may be no choice of grinds here, they have been preset to the correct factory settings for grind size in each particular country that they sell this model in.

So if you buy your Technivorm Moccamaster online, it will likely be pre ordained to produce the right grind of coffee for an American drip machine.

CAN I ONLY USE THIS GRINDER WITH TECHNIVORM PRODUCTS?

Of course this has been designed to work perfectly with other Technivorm coffee makers and will fit like a glove with all their other models.

But happily, we can report that this is not only to be used with Technivorm products exclusively.

It can and should work well with all generic drip coffee makers that you want to use it with.

Yes, there are one or two people who seem to think it will only work with a Technivorm, but this is not the case. It probably will work best with one, though.

HOW LONG WILL THIS GRINDER LAST?

One of the main problems with coffee grinders, even high end ones, is that they run out.

And although there is no absolute guarantee that this will not break, there is a five years manufacturer’s warranty with it.

This is a lot longer than a lot of coffee manufacturers give their products and can be taken as a sign of confidence in the makers of their grinder.

They even say this may be the last coffee maker you ever buy.

Maybe that is a tad over confident we feel, but the evidence is there that it should last a long time and these manufacturers are not some fly by night outfit who are likely to disappear before next year.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT THIS GRINDER?

The Technivorm is certified BPA free and made in the Netherlands. It is energy efficient and recyclable.

ARE THERE ANY DOWNSIDES TO THIS GRINDER?

Obviously, not everyone loves the Technivorm unequivocally. But with an over high online rating and no one saying anything really damning about it, we feel that these are mainly personal opinions.

Some low feedback has been recorded simply down to the fact the ‘polished silver’ was not apparently polished enough to someone’s liking!

Some of the other gripes are questions about the reported slightness of the plastic bowl that the beans fall into.

According to some, it may be a little on the flimsy side, although no one is reporting it has actually broken.

Overall, any issues with this grinder seem to be fairly minor, but the reasons to choose it are major!

Terrible customer service and support.
Cheap components, bad design. 1 of 5 stars:(
I called to explain my situation to their “knowledgeable” support team and was quickly treated less than desireable. I tried to explain that although I’ve owned the machine for 3-4 years, I did not have proof of purchase (sales receipt) as I received the machine as a gift. I explained my problem being the plastic motor housing that keeps everything aligned and the debris out of the motor is simply 2 weak plastic clips that are obviously prone to breakage. The “informed” tech on the phone said she had NEVER heard of this problem before, and since I had no receipt it was not covered under the 5 year warranty. So I then decided if I was already out of luck, I would disassemble the unit to investigate further. Sure enough, this weakness had allowed the motor to operate out of alignment causing further problems. A quick google search showed that in fact I was not the only person with this issue, and the first review that popped up on Amazon had the exact same issue!
I called tech support again, and was then transferred to a “supervisor” who explained that I had voided the warranty altogether by disassembling the unit… I tried to explain that my first phone call had already informed me of this case which is why I took it apart. She too stated she had never heard of this issue which at this point seemed completely outlandish!!
She did offer to repair the unit for $100, but at this point what’s the sense of throwing more good money away on a poor design?
Steer clear of this model and brand altogether if you care about your money! 🙁

“If it is to show off to your house guests or flummox people in general with its complexity, then perhaps this is not for you after all”

No, that’s really all it is good for, to impress your “brand label” guests that you had the pleasure of wasting $200 on a subpar coffee grinder with Technivorm on the side of it.

I encountered the same problems as Aaron reported, twice. Construction was weak, lousy customer service, they replaced the first after haggling but then some nonsense about already replacing it once under warranty when the second broke. Was this thing NOT supposed to be used once or twice daily? Forget it, you’re better off buying one of the lower end burr grinders. Glad I saved my super loud 15 year old cuisinart (looks identical to the <$40 DBM-8).

The Moccamaster coffee maker is quite good, but I would advise people that grind coffee at home daily or more frequently to get something different. Due to the customer service alone, I assure you that if my Technivorm coffee maker ever dies, I won't get another.